Poof
by ZeldaDragon
Summary: Sometimes it takes a little persuasion to get Trinity to believe she's sick. Oneshot.


**Oh, it's amazing. I'm actually posting something new for Matrix. I'm so proud of myself. :P Anyway, I hope y'all are enjoying your holidays. I know I am. In fact, I was just accepted into the university of my dreams after years and years of hard work. I'm still in shock. What a wonderful way to start a new year. :)**

**About this little fic… It's sappy. It's cheesy. It's short. It's semi-cliché. And I love it. Just don't kill me when you're finished reading, okay?**

**This is dedicated to all my friends here, Mystic Kyra, DesertFlowerSimon, Nurita, and SilverAshes especially. And, of course, Daydreamer731. You guys are awesome.**

xxxxx

Neo was roused from his uneasy slumber by the sound of Trinity trying to smother her coughs. She had been doing that a lot recently, trying to hide the fact that she was getting sick. He yawned and reached out to brush his hand down her naked waist and onto her hip.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

She cleared her throat and nodded. "Fine."

Neo draped his arm over her waist. "You're lying."

"Is it that obvious?" Trinity twisted in his arms so that she could face him. "It's nothing serious, really. Just a little cold."

"Mmm..." He gave her a skeptical glance and put his palm against her forehead. "I think you may be getting a fever."

"I am not." She swatted his hand away playfully. "But even if I am, believe me, I've been through much worse. A fever won't slow me down at all."

Neo just grinned. "That's what I'm afraid of."

There was a comfortable silence before Trinity said, "I'm sorry I woke you. You never sleep, and now I've ruined it for another night."

"It's all right," he whispered, his eyes soft. "Why were you awake anyway?"

"I don't know…" She pursed her lips. "Just thinking, I guess."

" 'Bout what?" He gave her his full attention, forcing all fatigue from his body.

"Just…" She trailed off, not sure what to say. He noticed her long fingers twisting the blanket, fidgeting. "Well, I was talking to Ghost yesterday, before we left Zion, and he seemed kinda distracted. He almost looked frustrated with me, which is odd because he's never been frustrated with me before. It's almost like he's…afraid of me or something. Afraid I might suddenly go _poof_ and die right in front of him."

Neo wasn't sure what to say. He liked Ghost and all, but he didn't know him very well…not the way Trinity did. "I'm sure you won't go _poof_, Trin."

"Thanks for your support." She chuckled. "It's just that we've never distanced each other before, when there was just as good a chance of one of us being killed then as there is now." Her words were interrupted by another onset of coughing, this fit more violent that the last. Neo quickly helped her sit up, hoping it would ease the path of air into her lungs.

"You _are_ getting sick, you little liar," he said quietly when the bout had passed.

Trinity gave him a glare, clearing her throat to rid herself of the tickle still lingering there. "I am _not_." She stood from the low cot and dragged her shirt and pants on. "I'm going to go get some water. It's almost time for my shift, so go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Trinity, wait…" Neo's words died when she turned to look at him. "Are you angry with me?"

She raised her eyebrows, making her face seem much more innocent than she had been in years. "Why do you think I'm angry with you?"

He shrugged. "You usually aren't so short with me…not unless I've done something wrong."

"I am not angry with you, Neo. I don't think I could ever stay angry at you for more than a minute." Trinity gave him a small grin and leaned down to peck his cheek. "I just have a lot on my mind. I'm sorry I came off on a bad note."

Before she had a chance to pull away, Neo put his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her fully on the mouth. "Don't go," he whispered. "Come back to bed."

"You know I can't do that," she mumbled against his lips, not trying all that hard to get away.

"Yes you can." And he was right; she still had a little less than an hour before she _had_ to go. His arms secured themselves around her waist and back, stopping the dull struggle. One of his hands slipped up under the bottom of her shirt, fingers splaying out over her skin to draw her closer.

They fell back onto the mattress, legs tangling together in the process. Trinity pulled away slightly and gave him a sly grin before attacking the bare skin of his chest with her mouth. "We really can get a lot done before then, huh?" she asked between kisses as though reading his mind.

"Yeah…" Neo closed his eyes, loving the sensation of her pressing into his body, wishing the rough clothes she had recently donned to be back on the floor where they belonged at a time like this. "Yeah, I think we could."

"Get these clothes off me," she managed to gasp out.

He was happy to comply. Before he could even register the command properly, his hands had both grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. Her skin was almost scalding as she leaned down against him, kissing him hard as his fingers worked on pushing her pants away over her hips, her thighs. She sat up and pulled them the rest of the way herself, quickly throwing them onto the floor before letting herself fall back on top of him.

Neo pushed gently on her shoulders, easing her onto her back. He looked at her eyes, those beautiful blue orbs, before pressing his mouth to her long pale neck. His tongue snaked out across her pulse, savoring the salty taste and committing it to memory. Trinity shifted slightly beneath him, quickly becoming impatient. She put a hand on the side of his face and brought his lips back to hers.

He pulled away slightly, just long enough to whisper, "If you really are sick, I guess I'll be catching it, huh?"

She smiled at him. "Uh-huh." And she kissed him again, this time licking his bottom lip before he pulled away for the second time. "What now?"

Instead of answering, he simply watched her, marveling at the sight below him. How her eyes locked onto his, her sharp eyebrows raising in bewilderment. Her mouth was open, breathing heavy and maybe even a bit labored due to her aching lungs. Her skin seemed to glow in the dim lighting as though she were an ethereal being sent to protect him. And in a way she was.

"God, Trinity," Neo muttered, resting his forehead against hers and feeling the sweat already beginning to form there. "What…" She lifted her hips, brushing them against his and cutting his words short. He stilled her with a hand to the hollow space above the bone there. "You're perfect, has anyone ever told you that?"

Trinity smirked up at him, still a bit put off but doing well in hiding it. "Perfect, huh? No, no one has ever said that to me."

"You are, you know. Perfect, I mean." He placed a soft on the tip of her nose.

She ran her fingers down the side of his face, down his neck and across his chest. Chill bumps rose over his skin at the touch. "Why are you saying that?"

"What do you mean, why?" He buried his face the dark hair spread on the pillow beneath her head, inhaling the unique scent he always found immensely comforting. "You're so beautiful. Has anyone told you _that_?"

"Well, yes." The muscles in her abdomen twitched, reminding them both of what they were starting. "But only when…they wanted something." Her voice was soft and seductive, a tone he never seemed to hear enough of.

He looked at her for a long moment…and then the mood was broken. Trinity sat up quickly, almost ramming her head into his as she coughed. Neo scrambled off of her, eyes wide and confused.

"Water..?" she gasped, her hand going to her throat.

When the spasms didn't ease, he jumped out of bed and snatched his pants from beside the bed. He hopped into them and pulled the door open, not noticing how cold it was as he ran to the mess hall. The cups were suspiciously hard to find. That or his mind was refusing to focus so badly that he couldn't remember where they were. It was a miracle that none of the water spilled as he rushed back to the room.

Trinity had pulled the covers up over her chest (Neo hadn't closed the door and she didn't want anyone to walk by and see something that would make them uncomfortable) and was still coughing, though it was considerably better than before. Neo handed her the cup before kicking the door back into place. Once he heard the solid clang he sat gingerly on the bed beside her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly as she drained the cup.

She looked up at him, her bottom lip between her teeth in embarrassment. "Yeah." Her voice was hoarse, but her throat was no longer itching so horribly. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Neo's eyebrows creased in confusion. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Her eyelashes fluttered, making dark shadows scamper across her face as she looked around in the semi-darkness. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Trinity…" Neo shook his head, amused at the tenacity toward her illness. "Lie down. You're sick."

She swatted his hands away from her shoulders. "I don't want to. And I'm not sick."

Her stubbornness was making her look like a child and he chuckled at her words. "You really are. Seriously, go back to sleep. I'll take your shift."

Trinity was silent. Her eyes told him how frustrated she was, but now she made no motions against him as he pushed her backwards and secured the thin blanket around her chilled body. "This is the only time," she whispered.

"Right." Neo nodded, knowing better than to push her now that she was actually doing as she was instructed. She hated to be so vulnerable, and he understood that. So he'd give her the small victory of this being the only time she'd show her weakness. "Sleep."

"I'm sorry," she said again, rolling onto her side so she could face him where he still sat on the edge of the bed. Her soft laugh assured him of her strong health. "I'll be well enough for you tomorrow night. I promise."

"I don't doubt that." The skin on his hand looked pale compared to her dark hair as he brushed it out of her face. "I'll come back to check on you, okay?"

"I'm not a little girl," Trinity spat almost resentfully. Neo instantly regretted his words. "You doing my work is enough. Go." But then she gave him a teasing smile. "Actually, I think I'd like it if you came back to check on me. I'd enjoy a kiss or two."

Neo laughed and leaned down to do just that. "Just relax, okay?" he asked against her cheek.

Her smile wavered. "Hey Neo, don't tell Morpheus about this." When he didn't answer right away she tugged at his hand. "Please? I don't want his worry on top of yours."

"As you wish," he replied warmly. He placed a last kiss to her neck. "Sleep well," he whispered as he picked up his shirt from the floor. "And Trinity?"

She gazed up at him from under heavily lidded eyes. That blue was still there, both startling and comforting.

"I love you. And you're not gonna go _poof_."


End file.
